U.S. patent number 8,679,189 [Application Number 13/767,055] was granted by the patent office on 2014-03-25 for bone growth enhancing implant.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Aerospace Corporation, Amendia Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is The Aerospace Corporation, Amendia Inc.. Invention is credited to Timothy Ganey, Frank Edward Livingston.
United States Patent |
8,679,189 |
Ganey , et al. |
March 25, 2014 |
Bone growth enhancing implant
Abstract
An implant device having a non-conductive base structure with at
least two exposed or exterior surfaces wherein at least one of the
exposed or exterior surfaces has attained electrical conductivity
on at least portions of the surface by an energy exposure wherein
portions of the exposed or exterior surfaces are transformed by the
energy exposure to attain the electrical conductivity.
Inventors: |
Ganey; Timothy (Tampa, FL),
Livingston; Frank Edward (Redondo Beach, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Amendia Inc.
The Aerospace Corporation |
Marietta
El Segundo |
GA
CA |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Amendia Inc. (Marietta, GA)
The Aerospace Corporation (El Segundo, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
50288779 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/767,055 |
Filed: |
February 14, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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61763223 |
Feb 11, 2013 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
623/23.49 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61L
27/303 (20130101); A61L 27/50 (20130101); A61L
27/16 (20130101); A61F 2/30767 (20130101); A61L
27/18 (20130101); A61L 27/16 (20130101); C08L
23/06 (20130101); A61L 27/18 (20130101); C08L
67/00 (20130101); A61L 27/18 (20130101); C08L
59/00 (20130101); A61L 27/18 (20130101); C08L
71/00 (20130101); A61L 27/18 (20130101); C08L
81/06 (20130101); A61F 2002/30052 (20130101); B33Y
80/00 (20141201); A61L 2400/18 (20130101); A61L
2430/38 (20130101); A61L 2430/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
2/28 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;623/23.49,23.72-23.76,16.11,11.11,17.11,17.16,18.11 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Stewart; Alvin J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: King; David L.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bone growth enhancing implant device comprises: a
non-conductive base structure with at least two exposed or exterior
surfaces wherein at least one of the exposed or exterior surfaces
has attained electrical conductivity by creating or forming
conductive paths or patterns of conductive networks on at least
portions of the surface by an energy exposure wherein portions of
the exposed or exterior surfaces are transformed by the energy
exposure to attain the electrical conductivity at the conductive
paths or patterns leaving the rest of the base structure not in the
paths or patterns unaltered, wherein the base structure is
preferably made of an organic carbon or hydrocarbon base material
composition of a synthetically produced polymer of a plastic
material.
2. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
non-conductive base structure received the energy exposure in the
form of a spectrum of wavelengths in the visible or non-visible
range sufficient to create a material composition change to the
base structure at the exposed or exterior surfaces.
3. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
material composition changes from an organic non-conductive polymer
to an amorphous carbon at the conductive path or pattern.
4. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 3 wherein a
material composition change results in a formation of conductive
carbon paths or patterns formed as channels of conductive carbon
residue extending at the surface to a depth of 1 to 2 or more
microns occurring at the conductive paths or patterns of conductive
networks.
5. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 4 wherein the
conductive paths are formed in interconnected networks to allow
electrical current to flow along the surface.
6. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 5 wherein the
paths are small, from a few microns up to several hundred microns
wide and formed in discrete channels at the surface extending to a
depth of a few microns.
7. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 6 wherein
these conductive paths react electrically to the low voltages
carried by cells to enhance new bone formation at the surface of
the implant device.
8. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 7 wherein the
paths have a resistivity under 500 ohms.
9. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 3 wherein the
material composition change results in a formation of conductive
carbon paths or patterns formed as channels of conductive carbon
residue extending at the surface to a depth of 1 to 2 or more
microns, and that resistivity is variable, variegated, and follows
domains that offer electrodynamic topology.
10. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
body structure is made of an implantable grade synthetic plastic,
which is a thermoplastic or thermoset material.
11. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 10 wherein
the plastic material can be any implantable grade material such as
PEEK (polyether ether ketone), PEKK (polyether ketone ketone),
polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene,
polyphenylsulfone, polysulfone, polythermide, acetal copolymer,
polyester woven or solid or implantable grade lennite UHME-PE or
other suitable implant material.
12. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
implant device includes anchoring holes to secure the device to the
skeletal structure with fasteners or alternatively can simply be
held in place by and between adjacent skeletal structures.
13. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
implant device is built by additive fabrication through a process
offering reproducible and reconcilable formation to the istropic
domains inherent to the marine mammal cancellous bone wherein, the
internal structure is modeled for strength, neutralized for strain,
and open to surface modification of its entire network of
trabecular permutations.
14. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
energy used to create the conductive paths or patterns comes from a
laser source.
15. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 14 wherein
lasers provide such an energy source which occurs in a reduced
oxygen environment so as to create discrete conductive paths in the
absence of surface scorching, insuring the base structure is only
made conductive at the paths or patterns leaving the rest of the
base structure unaltered.
16. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
energy used to create the conductive paths or patterns comes from
an acoustic source such as a focused acoustic lens, wherein the
emitted wavelength can impinge the surface to create a chemical
transformation to achieve conductive carbon residue paths or
patterns.
17. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 1 wherein the
enhanced implant device further comprises a 3-dimensional surface
texture of voids at exposed surfaces that provide cell attachment
locations in addition to the conductive paths wherein the
combination accelerates new bone formation.
18. A bone growth enhancing implant device comprises: a
non-conductive base structure with at least two exposed or exterior
surfaces wherein at least one of the exposed or exterior surfaces
has attained electrical conductivity by creating or forming
conductive paths or patterns of conductive networks on at least
portions of the surface by an energy exposure wherein portions of
the exposed or exterior surfaces are transformed by the energy
exposure to attain the electrical conductivity at the conductive
paths or patterns leaving the rest of the base structure not in the
paths or patterns unaltered, wherein the implant device is a
naturally occurring material such as an allograft bone tissue used
for implantation in a mammal.
19. The bone growth enhancing implant device of claim 18 wherein
the conductive paths have a resistivity under 500 ohms.
20. The bone growth enhancing implant device is made by a method
having the steps of: providing a non-conductive base structure of
an implant having exterior or exposed surfaces; and exposing at
least one or more of the surfaces to an energy source to transform
those surfaces of the base structure into electrically conductive
paths or networks and leaving the rest of the base structure not in
the paths or networks remain unaltered.
21. The method of claim 20 further includes the step of using a
laser beam in an oxygen reduced environment to create amorphous
carbon channels to form the conductive paths or networks.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to implants generally, more
particularly to implant devices that have enhanced surface features
that extend 3-dimensionally into the base structure of the implant
at least several microns to stimulate new bone growth formation on
and into the implant.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of skeletal implants is common in surgical repairs.
Implants are employed in a variety of procedures such as spinal
repair, knees, hips or shoulders and others. A common and most
important feature of many implants is the integration of the
implant into the skeletal structure. Mechanical fasteners, surface
modifications, coatings, sutures and adhesives and other ways of
affixing the device to the bone structure are used. These implants
can be fashioned from human bone or other biological material or
alternatively can be made from implantable grade synthetic
plastics, ceramics or metals like stainless steel, titanium or the
alloys of metals suitable for implantation.
One of the benefits of these plastic or metal implants is the
strength and structure can be specifically designed to be even more
durable than the bone being replaced.
As mentioned, one concern is properly securing the implant in place
and insuring it cannot be dislodged or moved after repair. One of
the best solutions to this issue is to allow the surrounding bone
structure to grow around the implant and in some cases of hollow
bone implants to allow new bone growth to occur not only around,
but throughout the implant as well to achieve interlocked
connectivity. Enhancing surface area by blasting, etching, or in
some other way increasing the relative surface energy interface
with the biologic component is desirable.
This is not particularly easy in many of the metal implants or hard
plastic implants. In fact, the surface structure of the implant
material is often adverse to bone formation. On some implant
surfaces this may in fact be a desirable characteristic, but in
those procedures where new bone growth formation is desirable this
is problematic.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an
improved implant device that encourages new bone growth formation
at selected surfaces of the device. The selected surfaces can be
some or all external or internal exposed surface features of the
implant device. The device with exposed surfaces that have selected
surfaces for bone growth formation can be prepared by the methods
as described below.
In addition to better activate a natural cellular response to new
bone creation, it is a further object of the present invention to
achieve an electrical conductivity at the surface of this improved
implant device to react to low voltage stimulation which the body
of a mammal naturally generates. While electrical conductivity is
achieved in many metal implants such as titanium, it is not in
plastics or allograft bone implants. It is therefore an object to
create surface conductors in otherwise non-conductive implant
materials.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An implant device having a non-conductive base structure with at
least two exposed or exterior surfaces wherein at least one of the
exposed or exterior surfaces has attained electrical conductivity
on at least portions of the surface by an energy exposure wherein
portions of the exposed or exterior surfaces are transformed by the
energy exposure to attain the electrical conductivity.
Preferably, the non-conductive base structure receives the energy
exposure in the form of a spectrum of wavelengths in the visible or
non-visible range sufficient to create a material composition
change to the base structure at the exposed or exterior
surfaces.
Additionally, the energy exposure can be either thermal or
non-thermal in its reaction with the implant, yet still manifest
change in either geometric or physic-chemical properties.
This material change preferably results in a formation of
conductive carbon paths or patterns formed as channels of
conductive carbon residue extending at the surface to a depth of 1
to 2 or more microns.
The base structure is preferably made of an organic carbon or
hydrocarbon base material synthetically produced such as a polymer
of a plastic material or even a ceramic composition. The body
structure can be made of an implantable grade synthetic plastic,
which is a thermoplastic or thermoset material. The plastic
material can be any implantable grade material such as PEEK
(polyether ether ketone), PEKK (polyether ketone ketone),
polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene,
polyphenylsulfone, polysulfone, polythermide, acetal copolymer,
polyester woven or solid or implantable grade lennite UHME-PE or
other suitable implant material or alternatively can be a naturally
occurring material such as an allograft bone tissue used for
implantation in a mammal. The implant device may include anchoring
holes to secure the device to the skeletal structure with fasteners
or alternatively can simply be held in place by and between
adjacent skeletal structures. The implant device can be built by
additive fabrication through a process offering reproducible and
reconcilable formation to the isotropic domains inherent to the
marine mammal cancellous bone. In such application, the internal
structure is modeled for strength, neutralized for strain, and open
to surface modification of its entire network of trabecular
permutations.
Additional modulations can be represented by material landscapes
that in scope and function offer either jointly, or separately
landscapes of potential seeded by either geometric, conductivity,
resistivity, or combinations of surface mimetic and conductivity
variations; in essence electric impedance topography.
The energy used to create the conductive paths or patterns can come
from a laser source or other energy source such as a focused
acoustic lens, wherein the emitted wavelength can impinge the
surface to create a chemical transformation to achieve conductive
carbon residue paths or patterns. Lasers are one example of devices
that might provide such an energy source; their use extended in a
reduced oxygen environment, in an oxygen-purged environment, in
inert gasses such as Argon, or in atmospheric conditions so as to
create discrete conductive paths in the absence of surface
scorching. This insures the base structure is only made conductive
at the paths or patterns leaving the rest of the base structure
unaltered.
The conductive paths preferably are formed in interconnected
networks to allow electrical current to flow along the surface.
These paths are small, preferably from a few microns up to several
hundred microns wide and formed in discrete channels at the surface
extending to a depth of a few microns. These conductive paths react
electrically to the low voltages carried by cells to enhance new
bone formation at the surface of the implant device. The feature of
electro-dynamic field in defining both spatial and physical fate
for system evolution has been espoused since Burr (1937).
Preferably, the paths have a resistivity under 500 ohms, and in
some applications may conform to resistance at the milliohm layer.
Ideally, the conductive paths are well below 500 ohms in the range
of less than 500 milliohms to a few milliohms. At 500 ohms or less
electrically conductive cellular benefits are expected to be
achieved at the implant surface.
In addition, the enhanced implant device may also have a
3-dimensional surface texture of voids at exposed surfaces that
provide cell attachment locations in addition to the conductive
paths wherein the combination accelerates new bone formation.
This enhanced implant device can be made by a method of providing a
non-conductive base structure of an implant having exterior or
exposed surfaces and exposing at least one or more of the surfaces
to an energy source to transform those portions of the base
structure into electrically conductive paths or networks.
This transformation further can include the steps of using a laser
beam in an oxygen reduced environment to create amorphous carbon
channels to form the conductive paths or networks.
This 3-dimensional surface, with characteristic exposed surfaces
offers value to the invention in that while resistance is generally
inversely proportional to the cross sectional area, the shape of
the material imbues additional contact surfaces that enable the
attachment to biomaterials without the dilution of a resistivity
because of sustained surface conductivity. As such, this material
defines in scope and scale electrical domains that fashion specific
properties in context of morphology and milieu of the healing
environment.
DEFINITIONS
As used herein and in the claims:
"Exposed surface" means surfaces that are typically an outer or
planar feature of 2-dimensions as used herein and throughout this
description. "Exposed surface" means an outer skin or surface
having a depth providing a 3-dimensional character, this depth
being the distance the surface pattern penetrates into the body
structure of the device to produce a repeatable pattern for
enhancing bone formation on the implant device. The exposed surface
might also include an open trabecular structure wherein the voids
extend from the surface throughout the structure. The exposed
surface might also be defined in 4 dimensions, wherein time imposes
specific and characteristic metabolic deposits which functionally
mature the surface and guide phenotypic responses that are resonant
with differentiated tissues and structures.
"Fractal Dimension" as used herein means repeating and sustaining
self-similarity.
"Mimetic patterns" mean to mimic a natural or man made or conceived
pattern with the capability to replicate these patterns at an
exposed surface to at least a depth sufficient to replicate at
least the pattern.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described by way of example and with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary implant device showing
a non-conductive base structure as formed.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the exemplary implant device made
according to the present invention after being transformed at the
exterior or exposed surfaces by exposure to an energy source to
form conductive paths or networks on portions of the surface.
FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the device of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 2 shows a small portion of the conductive path or network
magnified showing the scale bar of 100 microns is shown in lower
right corner.
FIGS. 3A-3D are views showing portions of the device with
progressive magnification of the conductive paths or networks.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a plurality of identical conductive
networks replicated on a surface with spaces or boundaries provided
so the repeatability of the pattern can be illustrated.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary view of an implant device with a mimetic
pattern at the exposed surface.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary view of the implant device of FIG. 5 wherein
the exposed or exterior surfaces have the exemplary mimetic pattern
underlying the conductive paths or network to provide a
3-dimensional mechanically enhanced surface with conductive
features for enhanced bone growth.
FIGS. 7A-7D represent various schematic representations: FIG. 7A
being a Developmental Evolution (Devo-Evo) over time; FIG. 7B being
a Linear Development Isometric; FIG. 7C being an Epigenitic
Development and FIG. 7D being a Morphology Development.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Cell membranes are made up of opposing pairs of phospholipids, a
specialized type of fat, and loose proteins. Each phospholipid
molecule has a ball on one end that works as an electron conductor
and two legs that work as electron insulators. These conductors and
insulators form a capacitor whose purpose is to store electrons. In
effect, the membrane functions as a small battery that stores
voltage for the cell. In multicellular animals, the cell membrane
also separates the cytoplasm inside the cell from that in the
extracellular matrix, maintaining a normal resting membrane
polarity that is tissue and organ specific. This potential
difference in voltage across the membrane is attributable and
maintained by various ion pump proteins that are located in the
lipid raft material. The passive electrical properties of a
material held between two plane-parallel electrodes of area (A)
separated by a distance (d) are completely characterised by the
measured electrical capacitance C (units Farads) and conductance G
(units Ohm'' or Siemens), The conductivity U is the proportionality
factor between the electric current density and the electric field,
and is a measure of the ease with which `delocalised` charge
carriers can move through the material under the influence of the
field. For aqueous biological materials, the conductivity arises
mainly from the mobility of hydrated ions.
All of the energy generated for the use of a cell occurs within the
mitochondria via a type of rechargeable battery system known as
ATP/ADP. ATP exists when the battery is charged and ready for work.
As energy is spent, the battery becomes ADP. Recharging takes place
as electrons are brought in from the cell membrane and mixed with a
small amount of phosphorus. This process takes place approximately
70 times per day in every cell in the body. If the ATP/ADP system
is not functioning properly, cells cannot generate the power they
need to keep the body working. In addition, when the number of
mitochondria that are supposed to be functioning in a cell is
reduced for any reason, the cell's ability to provide for its own
energy needs is diminished. The battery is used to maintain the
pumps, to sustain the equilibrium of the cell, and to serve as a
biophysical set point for cell maintenance. It also plays a
significant role in maintaining specific cell phenotype, aligning
cell genetic machinery, and in sustaining active cell metabolic
activity specific to the cell and tissue of account.
This greatly oversimplified description of the human body as an
electrical power source provides an interesting insight into how
the body generates new growth in bone. Cells migrate to the wound
in the region of a non-union fracture and create new bone
formations to heal the break, offering connectivity in an effort to
sustain voltage and reduce the flow of current. Health stems from
organized capacitance and a loss of voltage accompanied by a flow
of current has been shown to negatively impact wound healing and
other biologic processes.
In the case of bone implants, it is often equally important that
new bone growth occur around the implant device to insure it is a
stable structure safely secured in the skeletal structure to which
it is affixed. During this healing process, it is very desirable to
have new bone growth to start as soon as possible and to rapidly
surround the implanted device.
To achieve this rapid bone growth, the present inventor developed a
way to improve the exposed surfaces of an implant by creating
repeating patterns of voids in an implant device. In that invention
entitled "Bone Implants And Method Of Manufacture" filed on Nov.
23, 2011 application Ser. No. 13/303,944 which is incorporated
herein in its entirety, he found he could create devices that were
"mimetic" that is simulated the morphology of human or mammal bone
tissue at least from the exposed surfaces to a depth of a few
microns to several hundred microns in polymer type implants.
Recently, during the development and refinement of processes to
create these mimetic patterns, a new and useful discovery has been
made which provides for the basis of the present disclosure of an
enhanced bone growth implant device made from a non-conductive base
structure wherein a conductive transformation is created at an
exposed surface by exposure to an energy source. This ability to
create electrical conductivity at the surface of the implant device
will enhance the cells ability to generate new bone growth
formation around these surfaces and improve healing time.
With reference to the FIGS. 1-4, an exemplary implant device is
shown. Lasers were used based on maskless scripts that were
functionally correlated with imaging that was able to translate
micro-CT surface morphology and coordinate a binary script that
could be varied in location, pulse duration, and pulse number in
real time to effect depth, width, and confluence of pattern onto
and within hydrocarbon structures. Laser based surface enhancement
has several options and can be used in variegated domain sizes,
obtain structures and topographies designed to optimize synergies
accentuating epigenetic domains, and detail diverse physical and
chemical properties that yield interconnected networks of
cooperative and autonomous systems. These complex functionalities
and compositions offer a physics-based mimetic that are an
indivisible asset of biologic entities.
Laser process is termed "gene-scripted" or "genotype-coded" which
refers by analogy to the paired process of hybrid reading frames
inherent to DNA biology. By example, both the process script
defining intensity and the tool path code couplets that can occupy
a common reading frame, enable authorization for expression, and
enhancement of pattern based on script intention. Variations in
duration and pulse number offer reproducible patterns, defined
geometries, compositional fidelity, and variation in topology with
resolution ranging in multiple nanometer metrics.
With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary implant device is shown. The
implant device 10 is structured to position in the skeletal
vertebrae of a mammal. As shown, the implant device has an exterior
surface 12 and a hollow opening 14. As shown, the implant 10 has a
generally uniform wall thickness T. The actual shape of the implant
is not particularly important to the present invention, but rather
the exterior surfaces that are in contact with the skeletal tissue
are the focus of this invention.
In FIG. 1A, the implant device 10 has had the exterior surfaces 12
altered dramatically by incorporating paths 20 and networks 22 that
appear black at the surfaces 12. As shown, all the exposed surfaces
12 have these paths or networks. Alternatively, it is possible to
add these features in selected areas if so desired.
With reference to FIG. 1B, an enlarged portion of the implant
device 10 of FIG. 1 A is shown. The black paths 20 or network 22 of
paths 20 are more clearly visible. These blackened features are
conductive carbon residue formed from the material of the implant
10, in this example the material is a plastic, PEEK material. The
carbon conductive paths were formed by exposure to an energy
source. The energy source in this example was a laser pulse focused
to create channels 21 in the base material at 120K pulses per
second. The channels 21 left a residue of conductive carbon in the
channel. This conductive carbon material is the result of
transforming the base material, in this case PEEK, to carbon in
channels at least 2 to 3 microns deep into the implant from the
exterior surface.
With reference to FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B and 3C; progressively larger
magnifications of the conductive path 20 is shown. These views show
that at even very high resolution the conductive carbon path coats
paths 20 in the channel 21 almost completely. This insures the
otherwise non-conductive material has been completely transformed
into a conductive network 22 of carbon paths 20. As shown, the
conductive paths 20 and networks 22 were shown occupying about 20
to 30 percent of the exposed surface. It is possible to achieve
effective conductivity at lower percentages such a few percent 1 or
2 percent or at higher percentages up to 100 percent, however, it
is believed preferable to have a range of 15 to 50 percent to allow
for electrical conductivity while maintaining regions of
electrically insulated regions. The remarkable benefit of the
creation of carbon paths at the surface is electrically conductive
material is created without the addition of a conductive layer or
coating or a separate dispersion of electrically conductive
material. In a plastic implant to provide electrically conductive
features would have typically required adding it in the material at
molding. This results in embedding conductive material deep into
the implant when all the new bone growth formation starts at the
surface. The present invention achieves high levels of conductivity
where needed and avoids the costs of blending the conductive
material in the implant, but rather creates conductivity from the
base material.
With reference to FIG. 4, an example of a plurality of repeating
conductive pattern networks 22 are shown spaced by non-conductive
borders 25. This implant 10 surface 12 exhibits the ability to form
electrically conductive grids 26 from networks 22. The benefits of
such grids 26 would allow a low current to be delivered to isolated
surfaces if so desired.
FIG. 5 is a portion of an exemplary implant device with a mimetic
surface treatment extending into the device several microns,
greater than 5 microns to 150 microns. In these implants, the
channels 21 or conductive networks 22 can be laser or other energy
carved. FIG. 6 is an enlargement of FIG. 5. Once this mimetic
surface is formed, the secondary step of overlaying the conductive
pattern can easily be achieved by the energy exposure. The same
electrically conductive paths 20 or networks 22 will easily carve
the texture leaving the carbon residue in the formed channels 21 as
previously discussed creating paths 20 a few microns to a
millimeter wide and several microns deep to provide the electrical
conductivity needed.
With reference to FIG. 7A, a chart showing Developmental Evolution
(DEVO-EVO) over Time is illustrated. FIG. 7A depicts the potential
over time for genetic code to be expressed and tissue
differentiation to be achieved. The topology of development takes
into account location, electrical charge, cell density, and time as
combined elements of differentiation. Each cell type, and
functionally each tissue, has a hierarchical order at what it
required for differentiation. These steps are reached at different
times at different associations of energy. Orange dots reflect a
biologic potential, that is not restricted to cells but exists as a
continuum of genetic extension resulting in distinct and
characteristic expression of phenotypic--this has been referred to
as morphogenetic resonance.
In FIG. 7B, the chart shows an example of Linear Development
Isometric. The chart in FIG. 7B) if biologic potential is
considered a grid of isobar, or proceeds on developmental
landscapes with identical dimension and common electrical
conductivity, tissue development can take into account a set of
cues that culminates in growth in size but not in change of
material until a mature sized cell, tissue, or organ has been
completed.
FIG. 7C is a chart or schematic showing Epigenetic Development.
FIG. 7C is another example of development, differential fields of
either electrical potential or geometric identity result in
contortion of the biologic potential and an epigenetic, or outside
the gene, cascade. Such changes in phenotypic appearance, although
bearing the same genetic code, result in diverse structural
modifications; i.e. the difference between cartilage and bone
although both are part of the musculoskeletal system.
FIG. 7D is representative of changes in morphology with electrical
conductivity. In FIG. 7D, in line with the potential for systems to
carry forward distinct patterns of morphology from identical
genetic codes in an individual, an example of repeating change in
morphology and electrical conductivity might result in metamerism
as a final form. Such feature have been shown to develop from
differential expression of growth factors, timed initiation of
specific reading frames, and accountable repetition that is field
induced. This morphogenetic field approach has been piloted as a
theory explaining development, whereas an ability to control or
convey potential in designing biologic materials has not existed in
previous technologies.
In summary of FIGS. 7A-7D, cell differentiation and tissue
development can proceed on lines of sensitivity that have electric
domain flux, surface geometric variation, and conductivity
distinctions. These lines of sensitivity can be constructed as the
conductive paths 20 or networks 22 as described above. In
combination, regular growth, variations in shape leading to
disparity in orders of topology coupled with the distinction in
electric domains sustain morphologic advantages that emerge as both
genetic and epigenetic extensions.
Variations in the present invention are possible in light of the
description of it provided herein. While certain representative
embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of
illustrating the subject invention, it will be apparent to those
skilled in this art that various changes and modifications can be
made therein without departing from the scope of the subject
invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that changes can be
made in the particular embodiments described, which will be within
the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the
following appended claims.
* * * * *